Hamilton's father Anthony set to take on FIA role

Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix

Venue: Imola Dates: 16-18 May Race start: 14:00 BST on Sunday

Coverage: Live commentary of all sessions on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra; live text updates on BBC Sport website and app

Lewis Hamilton's father Anthony is to take on an official role with motorsport's governing body the FIA on young driver development.

Hamilton, who was instrumental in the start of Lewis' career and was his manager until 2010, has been working with FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem for 18 months on the organisation's young driver development programme.

A spokesperson said Anthony Hamilton had "provided invaluable insights into an area he is very familiar with".

His formal role, and the programme itself, is set to be announced at the FIA conference in Macau in June.

The move, first reported by the Times. comes as Ben Sulayem faces an election for the presidency in December after three tumultuous years in the role that have been marked by a series of controversies.

The latest of these was this week when it emerged Ben Sulayem is planning to change the FIA statutes for the second time in six months in ways that appear to further extend his control.

And Anthony Hamilton's decision to work with the FIA comes despite his son's obvious frustrations with Ben Sulayem's leadership.

Hamilton has made a series of remarks over recent times that have made his feelings clear, including on Thursday in the context of the FIA's U-turn on punishments for drivers swearing.

Lewis Hamilton said: "It seems a bit of a mess there at the moment. There's lots of changes that are needed, for sure. But it doesn't really impact me at all."